i wonder what the orig poster's car is like now? he asked these questions a while ago,
Got a 2000 EX civic on friday! i "was" a nissan ma
- Thread starter Nexus
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you have some good info there, but theres some not so good stuff too.Originally posted by TwoString2001
People seem to be forgetting the subject here. What mods can you apply to your car...
Warranty aside, there are several things you can do that don't involve the overrated and overdone engine swap or turbo install. Start with the basics...
A good exhaust system - if noise pollution is a real problem, then go with something like the Apex'i World Sport system. While it doesn't give you massive gains, it would be a good start.
Intake - Again, it's not going to suddenly mutate your car into a beast, but you're going to need good air flow on both sides of the engine before you dig in anywhere else.
Chip - A simple addition that can go a long way. I have yet to do this myself, but I have yet to hear badly about it.
Electronics - Give your car a better power system. Stronger wiring, better grounding and a better alternator will help out in the long run, and it makes sense if your engine has a mid to high powered stereo to contend with. Upgrade the ignition, plugs, wiring and anything else that aids the spark.
Suspension/Chassis - The engine can only do so much. You need to be able to get whatever power you have to the ground in the best way possible. A good set of coilovers is a good addition, as well as anti-roll bars, better control arms and anything else that stiffens the chassis and keeps the wheels in contact with the ground.
Drivetrain - This depends on what you have. If you have a 5 speed, a flywheel, new clutch and short shifter would be great improvements. If you're going with an auto, re-valving the torque converter, or just swapping out for a better after market one, is the way to go. The torque converter hogs sooooo much power and keeps the engine and wheels from fully connecting to each other. As with a manual, the lighter the rotating mass, the better.
Tires/Wheels - You don't need slicks or anything like that. A good tire like the yokohama perada is great for daily driven speeders. A lightweight wheel is also the way to go. And please...please please please let's not have anymore civics with twenty inch "bling blings."
Engine Internals - This is where you begin diving into the deep end of the pool. Stronger rods aren't really necessary. Higher compression pistons are great, and the forged type are even better...they resist expansion under high-heat conditions so your piston clearances can be tighter. Engine coatings help out a lot. They don't really give you and power gains, but the engine will run better, and efficiency = power in my book. A good head port will get you a little more. All of these are great mods if you plan on throwing a turbo in later on, but if you do, keep in mind that you'll need to take out those high compression pistons...bad things can happen.
Weight - lighten the car...kick your friends outI'd drop everything in the trunk (spare tire, jack, etc); only you don't want to throw your car off balance. Ditch the heavy amps and subs and anything else you've got in the car that you don't need.
Fuel - User higher octane fuels, and try to match the fuel consumption to the amount of air that's actually getting into the combustion chamber. Too much fuel and the engine will bog. Not enough fuel and you'll end up with some mild detonation problems. A new fuel pump, filter, rail and injectors are great additions here. Fuel management isn't necessary, but is great help during the tuning stage.
Electronics - Not much to add here. Maybe the fuel management mentioned above, and if you've got VTEC, take advantage of it!! A VTEC controller mixed with some of these mods coupled with a really good fuel controller is almost like having a turbo without the added engine wear.
Aerodynamics - Please don't throw one of those gigantic aluminum wings on your car...at the end of the day, it's a civic, and unless you're running in the ITC, it's pointless. The stock civic wing will do a good enough job. A front lip spoiler or wind splitter is a good idea, and anything that keeps air from getting under the car is good too. Right now, my friends and I are working on an air diffuser for use under the car. Nothing complicated, just something to ease out the turbulence under the car at speed.
The D16 may not be the cream of the crop, but it ain't that bad either. While we all dream of H22's and B20's, I take more pride in having a strong overall engine than a struggling beast that's too powerful for it's own good. No dis to anyone else out there...I happen to love forced induction civics that eat supras and vettes for breakfast...but having a strong car that retains it's stock appearance is often more fun than a car that flaunts everything and then gets beat by the mini-van wearing two donuts on the front. <purges NOS system, revs and let's the blow off valve whistle...drops the hammer and breaks an axle...no fun at all> Talk back and list any other good mods you can think of.
first, chips are not gonna give much power. the ever popular "spoon" and "mugen" program chips basically modify the ignition timing, fuel curve, and either raise or eliminate the redline. advancing the timing is good and makes a few hp, but the chip also makes the car run pig rich, which hurts power. the elimination or raising of the redline is pointless, as no stock honda motors besides the itr and ctr make any hp beyond their redlines. especially d series motors, they are done well before redline, so revving them up there does nothing but speed up wear. you dont need a chip to set ignition timing, so you can get all hp of a chip for free or cheap. factory n/a motors have little to gain on the ecu front, even the addition of a hondata and dyno time will result in a handful of hp gained. not to mention, all engines, even of the same type, vary significantly, so when you tune it you can make the most power, but a chip thats made to be all things to all engines will probably not be optimal for your setup. and it does void the warranty, and most make the ecu throw a code, so the dealer will know u chipped it.
grounding has been shown by magazines to gain a few hp, but id like to see some independent dyno tests before im convinced. a higher amp alternator will actually slow you down, as it makes the engine work harder to get the extra amps. you only need one of those if your running a nasty system and the stock alternator wouldnt be able to power it
adding anything to your igition is wasted money. eric augliar has the fastest all motor honda (and fastest all motor import) at 9.9 seconds. guess what he uses for ignition? completely stock honda-coil, distributor, and even wires. at his level of competition, if there was absolutely anything to gain from ignition, dont you think he would use it? unless your running enough boost to make it so the stock ignition is overwhelmed and your misfiring badly, buying ignition stuff is a waste.
higher octane fuel in an engine will actuall lose you a marginal amount of hp. there is absolutely no more energy stored in 93 octane than in 86. octane is simply a fuel's resistance to knock, and the speed that it burns. the higher the octane, the slower it burns. so a car designed for 86 will be tuned for a faster burning fuel, so putting 93 in it will be just like retarding the ignition timing a bit- bad for power.
adding a fuel pump, fuel rail and injectors is also pointless without a turbo. unless your running lean, messing with that will gain you 0 hp, and if theres too much fuel, you will lose power.
a vtec controller will also do nothing on a stock motor. unless you have done significant work on the motor- changed cams, turbo, etc changing the vtec changeover will do zip, again it will hurt power. honda engneers spent countless hours on dynos deciding the crossover point. randomly changing it does nothing but make the engine bog wherever you mess with the change.
stating that adding fuel and getting a vtec controller is just like a turbo is one of the dumbest things i think ive ever heard. get your facts straight before you make a statement like that.
one little sign says it all 
hehe..."thanks sir, may I have another"
Thanks for sharing the info.
Thanks for sharing the info.
no prob, where did you cut and paste that from?
cut and paste what from?